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07-06-2007, 01:11 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Hickville, Indiana
Age: 17
Posts: 14,897
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Rush hopes to fill shooter's role
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Rush signed with the Pacers in advance of the team's rookie and free agent camp this week in Conseco Fieldhouse, and also will compete with the team in the Orlando Summer League next week. After two workouts, Rush impressed Coach Jim O’Brien.
“Coach loves shooters,” Rush said. “Hopefully I can fulfill that role.”
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“I went overseas, I paid my dues, and hopefully now I can stick,” Rush said. “I had to stay hungry. I never thought I’d be out of the league, but things happen for a reason.”
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“He’s a guy that can shoot the basketball. I think he is a great NBA body and he likes to play defense,” O’Brien said. ”To be part of our team, they’ve got to be good people, they’ve got to be able to shoot the basketball, and they’ve got to be willing to play defense. “
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http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/rush_rfa_070705.html
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07-08-2007, 01:34 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Hickville, Indiana
Age: 17
Posts: 14,897
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Starting Over
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They need a 3-point threat. He is a good 3-point shooter.
They are making a fresh start. Rush needs one too.
They aren't in position to award a major free agent contract. He wasn't in position to receive one.
They have been dogged by controversies in recent seasons. So has he.
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He will have just a short time to prove himself, having signed a one-year contract that makes him a low-risk acquisition for the Pacers. He should, however, have plenty of opportunities to contribute in coach Jim O'Brien's offense, which places a high premium on 3-point shooters.
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He had averaged 10.1 points in 47 games that season for the Bobcats, 25 as a starter. He had hit 35 percent of his 3-point shots, scored a career-high 35 points against the Pacers in November, and had scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds in a game at Memphis just six days prior to his release.
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"The Bobcats are about two things -- hard work and maximum effort," Bickerstaff said in a released statement. "With that in mind, we think that it is best to go in a different direction with Kareem."
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"I'm still confused," he said. "If you look back at my career, you never see any of my coaches say I was a problem. I've never been that type of guy.
"Something like that has to be personal. He could have just sat me down. There were only nine games left in the season."
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Jackson showed interest in bringing Rush back to the Lakers late in the regular season, but his European contract wouldn't allow it. He had tryouts with Denver, Miami and the Pacers upon returning to the U.S., ultimately accepting the Pacers' offer because of the fit with O'Brien's offense and the opportunity for playing time.
Five years after he was the 20th selection in the NBA draft, Rush returns to the league with something to prove. He recognizes the pressure he faces to salvage his NBA career, calling it a "career-defining moment."
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"I don't know what the situation was (in Charlotte)," O'Brien said. "It really doesn't matter too much to me, because we do a thorough check on who we sign. I can assure you that in checking into Kareem, we're very pleased with who he is as a person.
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Rush thought he was going to join the Pacers five years ago, when they held the 14th pick and brought him in for two workouts. He thought they would have been a good fit for him then, and still does.
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http://www.basketballforum.com/newre...te=1&p=4881652
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Rush hopes to fill shooter's role
